I usually fall victim to emotional contagion when it comes to music. Most of my writing is induced by an impression I receive by a song or a body of musical work. In fact when I am writing I often relate the emotion of my work to the tempo/meaning of a song.
I relistened to "Prisoner" by Miley Cyrus ft. Dua Lipa recently, finding myself caught up in an experience with the song and the music video. There is something that feels so grungy and angry, obviously, but also carnal. I also sensed some acceptance and this story came to mind.
Hope you enjoy!
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I pushed out of the restaurant, tugging on my tie and unbuttoning the collar of my shirt. That damn asshole. He really knew how to piss me off! I almost made it to the corner, getting ready to hail a cab when a hand gripped my arm firmly.
"Adryan," Damien's voice was rough, his eyes stern as he glared at me.
"No you don't get to keep chasing after me like this," I snapped, jerking him off me. I went to walk away when he snagged my arm and pulled me back into the alleyway. The darkness swallowed us as he pushed me up against the cool brick wall.
"Why were you here with some guy?" he grumbled and I scoffed, glaring out toward the street.
"You are the one who said we were over remember? Last time we tried to talk and I told you I can't keep doing this. This weird cycle of us using each other and then distancing ourselves. So you told me that we'd be done! That we wouldn't see each other anymore!" I countered.
"I was mad and confused!" he snapped and I sighed, shaking my head as I looked down and shoved my hands into my pockets.
"How many times do we have to do this Damien? Why can't we move on and be happy?" I demanded. He grabbed my chin, his fingers rough as they pressed my cheeks to my teeth. I clenched my jaw, glaring at him. The dim light made his dark hair almost glow, the yellow tint of his irises almost glowing as he stared me down.
"Why can't you be happy with me?" he snapped and I tsked my tongue, a bitter sigh escaping me as I jerked my head out of his hold.
"You should know the answer to that," I grumbled, shoving my shoulder into him as he stumbled back. I stopped at the entrance to the alleyway, looking back at him. He stood, his hands clenched as he stared back at me. A tug at my heart made me scowl, so I turned without another word. A second longer and I would have run into his arms. I'm so fucking weak. I waved a taxi down, climbing into the back.
"Where to?" the sweaty man grumbled and I took a deep breath.
"WJ Apartments," I breathed and he nodded, pulling off. I slid back in the seat, taking a deep breath as I glared at the city passing by. If only I never agreed to move to the same city as this asshole. Maybe I could have finally escape this painful relationship. I shook that thought, not wanting to think about sacrificing my career to avoid him. It started raining and I sighed, glaring at the traffic jam.
"I'll get out here. It's not too far," I sighed, the driver looking at me like I was insane.
"It's pouring out," he muttered and I shrugged, handing over enough to cover the fare and a generous tip. He didn't complain after that. I slid out, shutting the door. I pushed my already soaked hair back, grimacing at the feeling of my clothes starting to stick to me. I took a deep breath and set off for my apartment building, my mind wandering. Back to how this all started...
* * *
"The name's Damien!" he stood at my desk, holding his hand out with a cocky grin. "You're the new kid. Adryan right?" he breathed and I nodded, a bit shy. "I heard you're joining the soccer team. I'm the captain," he jabbed his thumb to his chest and I sighed.
"Alright," I adjusted, a bit uncomfortable.
"So that means we're going to see a lot of each other," he insisted and I nodded, studying him warily. He was one of those obviously handsome and outgoing guys. Almost the stereotypical star athlete types. I knew who he was. He was a state champ, ranking as one of the best players in the state's division. But I never expected him to be like this.
From that day on he bothered me everyday in class, at practice, and even following me home from school. We ended up becoming really great friends and I learned to ignore some of his more annoying personality traits. In fact I really started to admire him. He seemed to be kind hearted and was almost as talented academically as he was physically. Our time together in school passed by quickly and were some of the best times we shared...
And then one day shortly before the end of our senior year, we were hanging out at his house when his parents got into an argument. It wasn't new, in fact he had mentioned them having problems. But he looked uncomfortable, his face twisting in frustration. It got pretty bad this night though, to the point where his dad even broke some things. Luckily we were in his room so we didn't have to see it, but we heard it all. When everything quieted down and it sounded like his father stormed out of the apartment he went to comfort his mom. She told him she was going to go visit her mom for a little bit, packing a bag and leaving just like that. He looked so lonely and broken, like his world was crashing down around him.
"Adryan," he called my name, his back to me as he stood in the living room facing the door.
"Yeah?" I breathed and he turned, his eyes clouded with a few tears.
"Please don't ever leave me," he muttered and I sighed.
"I won't," it was all I could say. We laid on his bed facing each other as he tried to stop crying, my hand reaching out to wipe his face. He gasped, his eyes meeting mine.
"What are you doing?" he mumbled, looking confused.
"Oh, um, I don't know. When I was upset my mom would do this for me," I shrugged and he hesitated before putting my hand on his cheek. He studied me for a bit, holding my hand there. It was hard to handle his stare, my heart racing as his yellow eyes pierced through me. I tried to look away but he grabbed the back of my head, pressing his forehead to mine.
"Can we stay like this?" he muttered, my heart racing. I stared at his face while he laid there with his eyes closed. He was breathing deeply after some time, having calmed down after crying so much.
"How can you look good while sleeping?" I whispered, my face felt hot as I reached up and brushed his hair away from his eyes. They flashed open, his hand catching mine.
"Adryan, do you like me?" he breathed quietly. I didn't know what to say. His eyes were so intense it was suffocating. His hand slid into mine, his fingers feeling so strong and warm between mine. I went to speak but couldn't get anything out. Why couldn't I deny it? Did I like him?
His eyes darted between my lips and my eyes as he pulled my arm over his shoulder. He reached out and grabbed my waist, pulling me closer to him. My breath hitched, my eyes wide as his other hand grabbed the back of my head. I felt his nose touch mine, my eyes closing as I wrapped my arms around him and gave in...